All Roads Lead Home
by SlightlyOff7
Summary: Everyone has a past. Everyone's on their own journey through life. Everyone's on their own road, and when the paths and pasts of a group of very interesting people all converge in the bustling metropolis of Magnolia, it will change their lives and the lives of every person in the city forever. And a woman named Lucy Heartfilia and a man named Natsu Dragneel are at the center of it.
1. No Apocalypse

**Well hello everyone! If you're new to my writing, welcome! If you're a follower of mine... I can explain. _Oh, do tell._ Shut up Blake, this is your fault too. _Hey, Saber gave you this idea months ago. I just finally got you to work on it. Which was not my intention at all. You already have a multi-chapter story that you struggle to update regularly. I have no idea what you were thinking, starting another one._ Well, I was inspired. Oh, for those of you who have you no idea what is going on, say hello to Blake, my muse, who decided I was SO in need of motivation that she decided to manifest in my room. And take the form of whatever character was most on my mind at the time. Say hi, Blake. _I apologize for him._ Thanks for that. Anyway, hope you guys enjoy this new story of mine! The chapter title is taken from Echosmith's March Into The Sun.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 1: No Apocalypse**_

The moon hung low in the night sky over the city of Magnolia, the ghostly light casting long shadows over the skyscrapers and river inlets. A lone figure wrapped in a thick overcoat walked down the thinly-populated street. The hum of the city's night life pressed around him, lights from clubs reflecting onto the sidewalks. He glanced furtively around at the empty alleyways, before turning and knocking on a door discreetly hidden on the side of a nightclub.

It opened, and the man was ushered inside by another man, in a dress shirt and slacks. When the man in the coat walked into the room, he beheld four other men arrayed around a circular table, with a large stack of papers and cash sitting in the middle. The one at the head of the group shifted his gaze upward, and recognized the newcomer with a grunt.

"Good of you to join us, Kageyama. Take a seat."

"Thank you Erigor." The man called Kageyama pulled a chair up to the table and joined the group, a troubled expression on his face. "How are the month's profits adding up?"

"Short," the man in the slacks replied brusquely. "We're losing more and more users to Midnight's product every day, and our dealers are being told to either pay protection, sell the new stuff, or get the hell out." He looked up at Kageyama. "But you knew all that. So spill. How did that meeting go? What did Lord Drowsy want?"

Kageyama's mouth wrinkled with distaste. "I gave him our message. Told him and his crew to back off. He wouldn't have any of it. Told me something like "our time was over". Crazy son of a bitch." The dark-haired criminal's hands tightened into fists on the table. "But he did make me an... offer, if you want to call it that. We pay him a percentage, and he keeps his dealers out of our turf."

"Well?" Erigor queried. "What was the little scarecrow's price? I'm guessing it wasn't good, judging by how your face looks like someone put shit under your nose and told you not to wipe it off."

Kageyama's scowl deepened, and his voice was low. "The bastard wants thirty-five percent."

There was a moment of shocked silence in the room, and the men in it could feel the tension build like they were in a pressure cooker. And then it blew.

"WHAT?! Thirty-five percent for _protection?_ Who do those flies in the South End think they are?" Erigor snarled, a feral expression on his face. "He wants that cut just for us to sell the same old product we've been selling for years? I won't stand for it!" He stood up, and every eye in the room followed him, equal parts of anger and trepidation reflecting in them.

Erigor began gesticulating wildly, his eyes alight with fury. "It's time these Oracion Seis upstarts learn what it means to run afoul of Eisenwald! We'll leave their heads on spikes, and then everyone will know… _cough…_ know our… _cough, cough…_ strength _…_ what the fuck?" The other men in the room began looking about wildly at their leader's distress, but by then it was too late.

The entire room was filling with a sickly violet smoke, and their eyes began to tear up as their throats swelled closed. Erigor tried to choke out some word, but it died in his throat as the veins in his neck bulged out in stark relief against the hue of his skin. One by one, the Eisenwald gang crumpled to the ground, their panicked eyes darting around as they seized up. They clawed at their throats, they beat at the walls, they tried to crawl away, but their strength was deserting them too fast. Kageyama even managed to make it to the door, but he could not turn the knob, and he too collapsed on the floor. The last sounds of death and suffocation sounded throughout the room, and then it was silent. The door opened then, and a figure in a gas mask and white coat entered, the gas swirling and parting around him like mist as it dissipated into the night. Standing silhouetted in the doorway, his gaze slowly traveled the length of the impromptu tomb before he walked in. He swept the cash and documents into a sack, checked the pockets of the dead gangsters, took one last glance at the room, and strode out, gingerly stepping over the corpses he left in his wake.

* * *

"… _..I got your hand in my hand, No drinks inside…, it's how we start a fire, with a natural high… With hands in our pockets, this doesn't have to be our last dance. With hands in our pockets, this world doesn't have to end .No grand finale, Hands in our pockets, we'll march into the sun."_

Lucy Heartfilia blearily blinked her eyes open. Her room swam into focus like an oil painting, the brown and pink hues melting as they entered her field of vision. As her alarm continued blaring it's happy tune, she let out a long groan, before reaching her arms above her head on the pillow and stretching languorously. After hearing her back and neck pop a satisfactory number of times, she began the lengthy and involved process of waking up.

First, the blonde pried herself from the cloying embrace of her blankets. She then sat up, and glanced somewhat resentfully at her alarm. It was still cheerfully droning on, and Lucy vaguely wondered why she'd chosen such a lighthearted song for a Monday morning. _Oh yeah,_ she thought as her brain finally began to power on. _New job._ She climbed off of her bed, forcefully tapping the alarm button as she did so, and stood up, taking stock of her room with a wrinkle in her brow.

The bedroom reeked of "lonesome girl with no social life". It was well-ordered, with a wooden dresser and vanity, a writing desk, and doors leading into a private bathroom and the apartment proper. A window let bright morning light in. The walls were a brownish pink throughout, and her bed had soft pink quilted sheets. And that was it. It was bare, devoid of any personal touches. Other than the obviously custom furniture, which was carryovers from the old mansion, there was nothing unique about it. They were the only things Lucy had brought from her old house, in fact. Everything else was too painful a reminder. _Well, not everything,_ Lucy amended. She glanced back down at her nightstand, and saw her mothers' keys glinting softly. She smiled for the first time that morning. Looking back to her clock, Lucy shook herself out of her reverie and headed into the bathroom to shower. She had a big day ahead.

* * *

"Oh Lu, I'm so excited! We finally get to work together!" Levy's voice came over the speaker on Lucy's phone loud and clear, and Lucy was suddenly struck with the absurd image of the bluenette guzzling coffee while talking into her phone and reading the morning paper all at once, while somehow also running in a hamster wheel. _She certainly sounds like she has the energy for it._ No one said Lucy's brain had completely reached its computing capacity for the day yet. She was now sitting on a barstool in her kitchen, waiting for her currently crisping toast with a steaming mug of coffee in hand.

"Me too, Levy, me too," Lucy replied tiredly, nursing her own cup. She glanced over at the toaster, waiting for the tell-tale _click_. "Mind telling me again why I'm being assigned to arson, though? The branch of police work I'm the _least_ familiar with? As I remember it, it sounded like you had something to with that decision." She turned to look out of the large glass sliding doors across the room, which led to her balcony porch. The view today was spectacular. Puffy white clouds drifted in the blue sky, and the sparkle of the river below lent the whole tableau a picturesque quality. Cars glinted across the shore on the roads, a sprawl of claustrophobic taxis and limousines.

"Oh Lulu, come on, you know why." Lucy could practically see her friend's pout. "I wouldn't have recommended you to it if I had any other option."

"But you see the problem here, Lev, is that you had any number of options. Options that didn't include messing with your best friend's first post at her new precinct." The toast clicked, and Lucy took a noisy bite out of it to emphasize her point.

"Lucy, I'm sorry about it, but I really need your help here. Actually, I'm not the one who you need to help. I'm doing this for an old friend, you know that."

"Yeah, you told me that. But what I don't get is why instead of requiring him to receive counseling, you need your old roommate and fellow psychology major to watch him secretly under the guise of being his partner."

Levy groaned. "Okay, first of all, you can stop reminding me of what good friends we are; it's only helping to convince me that you're going to do this. Second, I _have_ counseled him. I can only bring him in for a limited number of sessions before I have to make a decision on whether he's still fit for duty."

"Well is he?" Lucy's concern temporarily overrode her annoyance. "Levy, if you think he's unstable-"

"No, he's not unbalanced, Lu, I promise. I don't want to forbid him from working, because actually I think that would just make him worse. But he's far also pretty far from okay, if you know what I mean." Levy's voice quieted a little, and Lucy could tell her friend was fighting through the doctor-client privilege that had been drilled into their heads so effectively in college. "Natsu and I grew up together. We lived at the same orphanage, in fact. I've known him for a long time. He got back from the military about a year and a quarter ago, and he wasn't the same. But when he and his girlfriend went steady, he seemed genuinely happy for the first time in a while. And then…" Levy began to choke up, but she held it together. "She, ah…she died. She was an officer and well…she was murdered on patrol. About eight months ago."

"Gods," Lucy breathed out. "That must have hit him hard."

"It hit us all hard." Levy said, her voice regaining some of its steadiness. "Lisanna was from the orphanage too. She was like family. But Natsu…we didn't see him for a week after it happened. And then one day, he shows up at the precinct, and just throws himself back into his work. Refused to talk about her at all, just shut down whenever her name came up. Eventually, he found a way to pretend he was happy. And whatever he did in the army, they taught him how to take a psych test. He gives all the right answers, as well as if he was reading them from a book." Levy took a deep breath, and her tone returned to its usual peppiness. "So I thought I'd kill a whole flock of birds with one stone. He gets a supportive friend, who's also one of the nicest people I know-"

"Flattery will get you nowhere," Lucy interjected.

"-and I get someone with psych training who I trust completely to watch him every day, and who can maybe help get to the root of his problems."

"And because the universe is ungodly kind to you, you also force two of your loneliest friends into close proximity under your watchful eye for eight hours a day, five days a week, right?" The teasing note in Lucy's voice had lost a lot of its bite, but it was still there.

"Why Lucy, I am both shocked and offended that you think I would let such a base motive influence my judgment on this," said Levy, sounding neither shocked nor offended. "I thought nothing of the sort. But honestly, he's one of the nicest people I know. I think you'll enjoy working with him."

"I'm sure," Lucy replied, rolling her eyes. Having finished her toast, she began walking towards her room to change, keeping the phone at her ear and heaving a sigh. "Alright Levy, I'll do it. But you owe me for this one. Like, tickets to Mermaid Heel owe me. Dinner at Kotobuki's owe me. No expense spa day owe-"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it Lu. You're a good friend, you know that? And a good person too."

"Now you're just trying to get me to blush, Lev. I'll be at the 88th soon. See you there."

"See you!" Lucy hung up the phone, and beheld her wardrobe. _Chin up, Lucy,_ she thought. _New job, new city, new beginning._ She slipped on a pair of fresh pressed slacks, and added a crisp white shirt and makeup. Her navy blue jacket came last, and she confidently strode out into the hallway of her apartment complex.

Unfortunately, upon exiting the doorway,she immediately collided with her neighbor: a young man with spiky orange hair and azure tinted glasses, dressed in a two-piece suit. The two both reeled with the initial impact, and afterwards, their hands immediately came up to correct any imagined defects in their appearances. Lucy's hands went to her hair, while his went to his glasses. When they had both reassured themselves that the contact had not interfered with their carefully constructed visages, the turned to each other with embarrassed smiles.

"Oh, I'm sorry Loke!" Lucy hastily apologized. "I wasn't looking when I walked out of my room."

"Oh, no worry at all, Lucy!" Loke cheerfully reassured her, flashing a ten-megawatt grin. "I enjoy running into you."

"I'm sure you do," Lucy replied dryly, raising an eyebrow at his usual attempt at flirtation. At least he wasn't calling her "Princess" yet.

Loke's eyes moved to take in the clothes she was wearing, and his grin widened even further, which Lucy would not have thought possible on anyone other than Loke. "Hey, today's your first day at the 88th Precinct today, huh?" He didn't wait for a response. "Oh man, you'll love it there! I mean, if you can stand my friends, that is. They're an acquired taste, but they're also the nicest people once you get to know them."

"That seems to be the general consensus from you Fairy Tail types." Falling in side by side with Loke, they both began walking towards the elevator. "Levy told me pretty much the same thing. And why is it every one of you is in some way affiliated with law enforcement? You're like one big police fraternity."

"Pretty much," Loke said, chuckling. "Old man Makarov was a retired police commissioner, so we kinda had public service drilled into us early on. And once Erza became captain, she made sure she got everybody from the old home into her precinct. She's persuasive like that."

"Captain Scarlet, you mean? I heard she's terrifying." The new detective shuddered at the memory of the stories she'd heard from some of the other recruits.

"Aww, she can be a little forceful sometimes, but she's like the big sister you never knew you wanted. Or had to want, more accurately. You don't get to say no to being Erza's sibling."

Lucy let a small grin at that. "Well, let's hope she's as welcoming to me as she is to you."

Loke gave her a reassuring look. "Pssh, don't worry. Just tell her you're friends with both me and Levy, and you'll instantly be a member of the family."

"Just like that?" Lucy looked suspiciously up at him as they reached the elevator and Loke punched in the button for the ground floor.

"Just like that. Trust me." The elevator closed with a soft _ding,_ and began its descent.

* * *

 **So some basic info: Currently, this story is second in line on my priorities list, behind my other work, A Little Lesson On Your Nightmares. I will mostly be focused on finishing that one, but I really wanted to get this first chapter out, so here it is. It likely won't see any updates for a while, but I wanted to make sure I began it so it could begin to take more shape for me in conceptual development. This story will be very different from Nightmares, as it will be much longer, grander in scale, and definitely M. It is a sprawling AU that will utilize a great deal of the main Fairy Tail cast, and will include violence, foul language, drug use, and (maybe) a lemon or too. So you have been warned. Honestly, this first chapter was a little short for my liking, but it's a start, and I can always come back and edit this. _Can do and will do are two entirely different things._ Thanks Blake. And on that note, I'd also like to thank everyone who read this far! Please follow and favorite if you enjoyed, and don't be shy about leaving a review! I mean really, don't be shy at all. Be bold. Do it. Please. It's how I get better.**


	2. Time To Begin

**Hey, this is getting another chapter! This one took me a while for all the usual reasons (School, college apps, general malaise, etc.) but also because I rewrote it about three times. It just never seemed to come out the way I wanted it to, but eventually I found a way to round it into shape, especially with the help of my awesome new beta nightowl880! Her input was vital in getting this thing published, so a huge thanks to her. And thanks also go out to and shardbearer for leaving a review, it really helps me with writing these.** **Chapter title and lyrics taken from Imagine Dragons song It's Time, but you probably knew that. Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. Though at this point, I think I want to own it more than Hiro Mashima does.**

* * *

 _"It's time to begin, isn't it?_

 _I get a little bit better but then, I'll admit,_

 _I'm just the same as I was_

 _Now don't you understand_

 _That I'm never changing who I am."_

After parting with Loke in the apartment lobby, Lucy collected her car and found herself on the short drive from Strawberry Street to the 88th Precinct, still more nervous than she had any right to be. She let out a loud huff as her sedan wove slowly through the morning traffic, her thoughts refusing to settle down into any semblance of comfort.

 _Come on, Lucy, it's just a promotion. You've done what's basically this, just in a uniform, for a year and a half! It's a totally new precinct and you essentially have two jobs in one, in a department you didn't train for with a vet who probably has depression and almost certainly PTSD, but at least you're trained for_ _ **that**_ _part… This line of thought isn't helping me in the slightest._

Eventually, the multi-story structure whose third floor held the 88th Precinct office loomed before her wind shield, and she presented her new (meticulously polished) detective badge to the attendant at the gate, who waved her through so she could park. And before she knew it, she was standing in front of the elevator on the ground floor, her foot nervously tapping a tattoo into the ground as she glanced at her watch. She wasn't late, per se; she was actually right on time. But she wasn't sure whether Captain Erza Scarlet was one of those superiors who called it "right on time" or "almost late". The elevator _dinged_ open, and Lucy quickly stepped in, pressing the third floor button as fast as she could. However, before she could even look up, a voice sounded from outside the lift.

"Hold the door please!"

Lucy's hand shot out to pry the elevator doors back open, and a blue-haired woman in a brown overcoat rushed in, holding a full coffee drink carrier in one hand and a singular cup in the other. She glanced quickly at the buttons, but when she saw Lucy's destination she nodded in consent, before looking up at her companion in the lift.

"Thanks," she began, shooting Lucy a look of gratitude as the doors closed and the elevator began to ascend. She had wavy blue hair that fell past her shoulders and deep eyes of a slightly darker shade, which were made even more startling by their contrast with her pale white skin. She was quite beautiful. Lucy's inner profiler had already gone to work on the details. _Minimal makeup. Means she's either very confident in her natural looks or reserved, doesn't like showing off._ But despite her obvious beauty, Lucy didn't fail to notice the badge on her belt, or the telltale bulge of a sidearm underneath her coat. _Detective. Worn badge means experience._ "I'm going to take a wild guess that you're the new member of the team!" the woman said sunnily. "Lucy, right? Detective Lucy Heartfilia?"

"Y-yeah, I am," Lucy replied, blinking as her reverie was interrupted. The blue-haired woman was gazing at her intently, but the cheer in her tone was genuine. She was pleasantly surprised that one of her apparent coworkers already knew her name. "Nice to meet you, Detective…"

"Juvia Lockser, homicide," the bluenette offered. "Here, hold this." She held out the coffee cup in her hand to Lucy, who accepted, before retrieving another cup from the carrier and performing a switch with the one Lucy had just been handed. "Cream and two sugars, right?" At Lucy's dumbfounded nod, she smiled. "Little something to make you feel at home. I asked Levy how you take it."

"Wow, thanks!" Lucy said, opening the cup and confirming it was, indeed, exactly how she liked her coffee. She'd already had one cup today, but it would be rude to deny a gift like this (and she could always use more caffeine on a Monday), so she sipped at it with gusto. "Do you guys always get coffee for each other here?"

Juvia's blue eyes glowed with amusement. "Sort of. We have a group chat going, and everyone reports in when they leave their home. Last person to leave is in charge of the coffee. I drew the short stick today." Suddenly, the doors _dinged_ open, and Juvia walked out, beckoning Lucy to follow her with a jerk of her head and an encouraging smile. _Extroverted, cheerful, kind. Means lack of makeup likely because of preexisting confidence. Good temperament for homicide._ You had to be able to look on the bright side when you were confronted with death and depravity every day, and possess no shortage of assurance either. _I would know; it's what I applied for._

Lucy took a deep breath, and stepped in. She followed Juvia down a hallway until they reached the central office space, which were really just a collection of desks in the middle of the large room. _Okay, Lucy,_ she thought to herself, _learn and listen._ Performing quick psychological judgments on people was on of Lucy's specialties, so she made every attempt to practice it. She ran over everything else she'd surmised about Juvia so far as they approached the bullpen.

As the desks came into view, she noticed two men sitting in them, one flipping through some folders and the other reading the newspaper, glancing up every now and then to survey the room. The one with the folders had short black hair and navy eyes, and was dressed in a standard black suit and tie, the jacket slung over the back of his chair. His desk was faced away from the entrance. The one with the newspaper had a far wilder look. He wore his raven hair long, and metal piercings ran the length of his aquiline nose. They went along with several earrings on each ear, and he completed the whole visage with a pair of brooding red eyes. _He looks like he just walked offstage from a heavy metal concert and came into work._ And yet he too was dressed in a plainclothes detective's suit and tie, though he still had his jacket on. His desk faced the rest of the room, and it was subtly angled so he had a completely unobstructed view of the whole precinct. _And,_ Lucy noted, _he already has his gun strapped on. Tall, dark, and handsome over there has his in the desk._

"Hey guys," Juvia said to the two as she and Lucy neared the desk. "I'd like you to meet Detective Lucy Heartfilia, our new teammate." The pair both looked up and Lucy instantly felt herself being evaluated. She'd felt like that really ever since she'd met Juvia, but this confirmed it. Nothing new, but it showed her that this group was both tight-knit and cautious. Outsiders were appraised before being accepted.

The short-haired one spoke up first. "Nice to meet you, Lucy," he said, standing up and extending his hand. "I'm Gray Fullbuster, homicide."

Lucy shook his hand. "Nice to meet you too, Gray," she replied. _Comfortable in a precinct, no sense of danger in here, used to newbies. And used to paperwork. Career policeman,_ she concluded. As Juvia handed Gray his coffee, Lucy walked over to the other one, who folded his newspaper up and extended his hand from the seat.

"Gajeel. Redfox. Organized crime. Good meeting ya, rookie." His hand was so large, it enclosed Lucy's entirely.

"Gajeel, she has a name," Juvia said jokingly, waving his coffee in front of him. Gajeel grunted in amusement, before snatching the cup and taking a swig, apparently unaffected by the heat. _He's a latecomer to detective work. Not as relaxed, more alert in a safe environment, heightened protective instinct. Military, maybe? With that hair, I can't be sure. Is it prejudicial if ex-con is the next thought?_ Her thoughts were interrupted when Gajeel spoke again.

"So, you're Levy's friend, eh Heartfilia? Hasn't stopped talking about you these past couple of days," he drawled.

"Oh, really? What's she said?" Lucy asked curiously.

"Only the nicest things, of course." Levy's voice came from behind Gajeel's desk. Lucy looked up to see her friend emerge from an office on the side of the bullpen, with "Levy McGarden, Criminal Psychologist" on the window in gold letters. _She has her own office. Of course._

"That's not the most specific answer, Ms. McGarden," the blonde said, narrowing her eyes playfully.

"It's as specific as it needs to be, Detective Heartfilia," Levy shot back, smiling. A deep chuckle rumbled from Gajeel as he observed the back and forth between the two friends.

"You said she was a lot like you, Shrimp, but the resemblance is uncanny. You sure you just met in college?"

Lucy let out a snort when she heard Gajeel's nickname for the shorter woman. Looking over, she could see a hint of redness appearing around Levy's ears. "He calls you _Shrimp?_ "

"It's not a habit I encourage," the Levy said, glaring at the pierced man. Gajeel just grunted in amusement and went back to his newspaper. Levy let out a huff, and then walked around the desk to beckon Lucy towards her. "Well, we've kept Erza waiting long enough. Time for you to meet the captain." Levy proceeded to walk towards the next door down from hers, this one with "Capt. Erza Scarlet" emblazoned on the window. The bluenette beckoned that Lucy should open it, so the new detective turned the knob and stepped in, the nervous pit in her stomach widening. Though Lucy wasn't exactly proud of it, her first observation about the woman at the desk in the center of the room wasn't deductive in the slightest.

 _They weren't lying about the eye._

There were few women who could have claimed to be on par with Erza's beauty. Flowing red locks, smooth and lustrous skin, warm brown iris that was the color of worn leather- the woman could have graced the color of glamour magazines, were it not for one memorable part of her appearance.

A weathered brown eye patch covered the captain's right eye. A small bit of scar tissue could be seen peeking out from under it, and the strap wound around the side of her head. Erza Scarlet's missing eye was a thing of mystery and legend among the recruits back at the police academy. Lucy had heard a thousand and one theories about how she lost it: she'd taken a glancing gunshot wound in a firefight, after which she killed the offending criminal with her now improved aim (not having to close that eye anymore). Another said she'd gone blind in a boxing match, and decided to simply have the thing removed instead of staring blankly ahead. One person had insisted that Erza had donated her eye to another officer who'd gone blind, reasoning that both of them having one was better than losing someone and keeping another with perfect vision. Personally, Lucy liked that one the best.

The redhead looked up from her desk, eye shining inquisitively. She set down a file that Lucy guessed was hers. "Detective Lucy Heartfilia, I presume?" The sentence was more statement than question.

"Yes ma'am," Lucy replied automatically. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Captain Scarlet."

"The feeling's mutual, detective. " Erza nodded her head towards the chairs in front of her desk, and Lucy and Levy took their seats almost immediately. _She has an aura of command. She's used to being in charge and being obeyed._

"So, Lucy, I see your academy transcripts are exemplary. Top of your class in theoretical coursework, steady improvement in physical tests and marksmanship, perfect score on the exit exam." Erza tapped the folder on the desk as she spoke.

"I, ah, did my best, ma'am," Lucy said tentatively. She was never the most comfortable discussing her success. It felt too much like bragging.

"I'm sure the psychiatric degree from Cypress University helped." Erza raised an eyebrow. "We don't see many people with an Ivy League education applying to work for the police, current company notwithstanding," she remarked, indicating Levy quietly sitting next to them. The question, while not explicitly stated, was as clear as day.

"I always knew I wanted to help people," Lucy began. "My mother was a doctor, and I really wanted to be like her. I never really felt like becoming a surgeon was in my future, but I found I had a knack for, ah, empathizing with people. So I went into mental health care. I got into Cypress and met Levy, and then…" Lucy bit her lip. _How do I say this?_ "Something personal inspired me to become a police officer. I had already taken some criminal psychiatry classes, so I knew a little of what to expect, and after I graduated I enrolled at the academy." She nodded at the folder with a modest smile. "And you know the rest from there."

The captain regarded her with interest as Lucy gave her quick explanation, and if she was intrigued by Lucy's purposely vague answer, she didn't show it. _As stoic as I'd heard._ When the detective finished, Erza hummed in acknowledgment. "I see. Well, allow me to tell you that we here at the 88th are very glad you came to that decision, Detective Heartfilia." She smiled again, and extended her hand across the desk. "Welcome aboard."

She and Lucy exchanged a firm handshake. The warm glow of approval Lucy saw in Erza's eye gave her a strange sense of pride, as though she'd passed some great test. Well, she had, really. At that point, Lucy recalled her earlier conversation with her neighbor.

"Oh, and I forgot to mention, Loke says hello."

At this, Erza's expression turned questioning again, with some surprise mixed in as well. "Oh, how do you know Loke?"

"We're neighbors, actually," Lucy explained with a wry smile. "We've become pretty good friends since I moved in, and ever since I told him I was applying to work here, I've been hearing nothing but glowing praise and stories from when you all were growing up in Fairy Tail." Seeing the hint of something in Erza's expression, she added, "And no, I haven't slept with him."

Levy let out a quick guffaw that she immediately silenced, looking equal parts amused and worried at the rather forward statement, but Erza just raised an eyebrow. Lucy did detect a hint of amusement, though.

"And why would you feel the need to add that, Detective?"

"Because when a young, pretty girl brings up Loke, the safest assumption is usually that she slept with him. Ma'am," Lucy added, unable to contain a grin.

Captain Scarlet let out a small giggle at Lucy's statement, which quickly blossomed into a throaty laugh that reverberated around the office. Lucy was a little taken aback at how easily the woman's serious exterior had melted, but when she looked at Levy, the blue haired girl was grinning from ear to ear at Erza's display. Eventually, Erza settled back into her chair, wiping at her good eye with a hand.

"That's…that's true enough, Luc-, Detective."

"Please ma'am, Lucy's fine, if you'd prefer." Already, Lucy could feel her nerves dissipating around her new superior, and she wondered why in the world everyone found her so terrifying. _I like her a lot already. I wonder why everyone finds her so scary._

Erza smiled again. "Very well, Lucy. It's not exactly professional, but we're all on a first name basis with each other here, and I'm pretty sure you'll fit right in to that soon enough."

Lucy was about to respond when suddenly, the door to Erza's office banged open, and a man peered in through the opening. He had shockingly bright pink hair, which complemented a tanned face and striking onyx eyes. The surprise of his entrance was increased by the fact that he was talking a mile a minute.

"Hey Erza, I just got off the phone with Romeo, said we've got a fresh burn in Hargeon near the harbor so I'm gonna go check it o-"

"Natsu, you will stay right there until I dismiss you, and not a moment sooner!"

Erza's voice cut through the pink-haired man's rambling like a hot knife through butter, and Lucy could see him stiffen before quickly standing at attention with a fearful smile. Lucy looked back and saw Erza's eye boring through him intensely, and the detective shivered involuntarily. _Oh. That's why everyone says she's terrifying._

Erza addressed Lucy again, with a slightly warmer tone than she'd used on the rosy-haired man, but still short and authoritative for his benefit. "Lucy, I'd like you to meet the man you'll be partnered with here at the 88th precinct. This is Detective Second Class Natsu Dragneel." She swiveled her gaze to Natsu. "Natsu, this is Detective Third Class Lucy Heartfilia, your new partner."

 _So this is him. Somehow, he's…not what I expected in the slightest._ Despite the unusualness of his hair color, it evidently worked with the rest of him, because Lucy couldn't deny he seemed somewhat handsome. But beyond that, he seemed far more _animated_ than she'd anticipated. From the way he nervously fiddled with his tie to the wide, sheepish grin on his face, to the way his cheeks dimpled when he smiled (which shows he did it a lot), he didn't look anything like what Lucy usually saw in depressed or traumatized people. If anything, he looked…well, now he just looked confused. He was staring at Lucy with a befuddled expression after Erza's introduction, and Lucy thought it best she made her own introduction as well.

"It's nice to meet you, Natsu. I'm excited to be your partner. I hope we can work well together." She stood up and extended her hand to Natsu, which he shook almost out of reflex, a look of bemusement still on his face.

"Nice to meet you too, uh, Luigi-"

"Lucy."

"Lucy. Sorry," he said, his hand coming up to rub at the back of his neck with a chagrined smile. "I just wasn't expecting to get a partner when I came in today." He looked back at Erza as he said this. "Speaking of which, why again do I have a partner?"

"Life's full of surprises, isn't it?" Levy said as she moved past Natsu through the door. "I think you'll enjoy having somebody to show the ropes, Natsu. Good luck, you two!" As she walked out the door, Lucy could see her friend give her a thumbs up over Natsu's shoulder.

"I deemed you ready to have a partner, and with the workload you've had on your plate recently, I figured you could use the assistance," Erza explained as she stowed Lucy's folder in her desk. "Now then, you may go. I expect you to help Lucy learn all the ins and outs of arson investigation." The dismissal was amiable, but clear.

"Uh, yeah, totally," the pink haired detective said awkwardly. He turned back to Lucy then, and gave her a shrug. "Well, I guess we're partners now."

Lucy smiled. "I guess we are." _And you're also my patient, but you don't know that. Bet that's a first too._

Natsu turned and strode out the door, calling behind him, "Well, like I was sayin', we've got a building in Hargeon that the fire inspector says was clearly an intentional burn-"

As Lucy was about to follow him out the door, his head shot back though the doorframe, and she had to take a step back to keep them from colliding. "Hey, I was wonderin' something."

"What?" She'd known him for all of two minutes, and she was already struggling to keep up.

"You want to drive?"

* * *

 **How did you enjoy the chapter? Leave a review and let me know! _YES, TELL US WHAT WONDROUS THINGS WE HAVE CREATED HERE-_ [MUTE]**

 **All Might, I swear to god, I will mute you permanently if you speak in all caps agai-**

 _ **BUT HOW ELSE CAN I EXPRESS-**_ **[MUTE]**

 **Yeah, you know my whole "my muse is a person who changes" shtick that I started and now have to live with? It's All Might. Please help.**


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